Army Black Knights football

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Army Black Knights football
AmericanFootball current event.svg 2024 Army Black Knights football team
Army West Point logo.svg
First season 1890; 135 years ago
Athletic directorN/A
Head coach Jeff Monken
11th season, 82–57 (.590)
Stadium Michie Stadium
(capacity: 36,000)
Year built1924
Field surface FieldTurf
Location West Point, New York
NCAA division Division I FBS
Conference The American
Past conferences Independent
(1890–1997, 2005–2023)
Conference USA (1998−2004)
All-time record73954751 (.572)
Bowl record83 (.727)
Claimed national titles5 (1914, 1916, 1944, 1945, 1946) [1]
Conference titles1 (2024)
Rivalries Air Force (CiCT)
Navy (rivalry, CiCT)
Notre Dame (rivalry)
Heisman winners Doc Blanchard – 1945
Glenn Davis – 1946
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Consensus All-Americans37
Current uniform
Army Uniform Template.png
ColorsBlack, gold, and gray [2]
     
Fight song On, Brave Old Army Team
Mascot Army Mules
Marching bandUnited States Military Academy Band
Outfitter Nike
Website GoArmyWestPoint.com

The Army Black Knights football team, historically known as the Army Cadets, represents the United States Military Academy in college football. The Black Knights team competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Black Knights play home games in Michie Stadium with a capacity of 36,000 at West Point, New York. The Black Knights are coached by Jeff Monken, who has held the position since 2014.

Contents

Army claims five national championships, including two AP Trophies in 1944 and 1945. [1] Army has produced 24 players and four coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame, 37 consensus All-Americans, and three Heisman Trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946), and Pete Dawkins (1958). [3]

With the exception of seven seasons (1998–2004) when the team was a member of Conference USA, Army competed as an independent, meaning that they had no affiliation with any conference. They started to compete in the American Athletic Conference as a football-only member in 2024. For all other sports Army is primarily a member of the Patriot League.

Army competes with their historic rivals Navy in the Army–Navy Game, traditionally the final game of the college football regular season. The three major service academies—Army, Navy, and Air Force—compete for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy; Army has won the award ten times, most recently in 2023.

History

Army's football program began on November 29, 1890, when Navy challenged the cadets to a game of the relatively new sport. Navy defeated Army at West Point that year, but Army avenged the loss in Annapolis the following year. [4] The academies still clash every December in what is traditionally the last regular-season Division I college-football game.

Army's football team reached its pinnacle of success during the Second World War under coach Earl Blaik when Army won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946, and produced two Heisman Trophy winners: Doc Blanchard (1945), Glenn Davis (1946). From 1944 to 1950, the Cadets had 57 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties. During this time span, Army won three national championships. [5] Army produced a third Heisman trophy winner in 1958 when Pete Dawkins took the honors. [6]

Past NFL coaches Vince Lombardi [7] and Bill Parcells [8] were Army assistant coaches early in their careers.

The football team plays its home games at Michie Stadium, where the playing field is named after Earl Blaik. Cadets' attendance is mandatory at football games and the Corps stands for the duration of the game. At all home games, one of the four regiments marches onto the field in formation before the team takes the field and leads the crowd in traditional Army cheers. Two of the regiments are tasked with performing the morning parade while the last regiment is tasked with ancillary stadium duties. [9]

For many years, Army teams were known as the "Cadets." In the 1940s, several papers called the football team "the Black Knights of the Hudson." From then on, "Cadets" and "Black Knights" were used interchangeably until 1999, when the team was officially nicknamed the Black Knights. Individual cadets as well as groups of cadets to include the entire team are still often referred to as "Cadet" or "The Cadets" with regard to athletic events.

Between the 1998 and 2004 seasons, Army's football program was a member of Conference USA, but starting with the 2005 season Army reverted to its former independent status. [10] Army competes with Navy and Air Force for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. In 2024, Army began competing in the American Athletic Conference. While Air Force competes in a separate conference, Navy also competes in the AAC. The regular season matchup between Army and Navy is competed as a non-conference matchup after the conference championship game and therefore does not affect conference standings.

National championships

Army has won five national championships from NCAA-designated major selectors, including twice (1944, 1945) from the AP Poll. [11] :108–115 [1]

YearCoachSelectorsRecordFinal APFinal Coaches
1914 Charles Daly Helms, Parke Davis, Houlgate, National Championship Foundation [11] :1119–0
1916 Parke Davis [11] :1119–0
1944 Earl Blaik AP, Berryman, Billingsley, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Williamson [11] :1119–0No. 1
1945 AP, Berryman, Billingsley MOV, Boand, DeVold, Dunkel, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Litkenhous, National Championship Foundation, Poling, Sagarin, Sagarin (ELOChess), Williamson [11] :1129–0
1946 Billingsley, Boand, Football Research, Helms, Houlgate, Poling [11] :1129–0–1No. 2

Conference championships

SeasonConferenceCoachConference recordOverall record
2024 American Athletic Conference Jeff Monken 8–011–2

Lambert Trophy

The Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (known as the Lambert Trophy), established in 1936, is an annual award given to the best team in the East in Division I FBS (formerly I-A) college football and is presented by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers. Army has won the Lambert Trophy nine times; seven times under head coach Earl "Red" Blaik in the 1940s and 1950s, and twice under head coach Jeff Monken in 2018 and 2020. [12] [13]

YearCoachRecordFinal AP rank
1944 Earl Blaik 9–0#1
1945 Earl Blaik9–0#1
1946 Earl Blaik9–0–1#2
1948 Earl Blaik8–0–1#6
1949 Earl Blaik9–0#4
1953 Earl Blaik7–1–1#14
1958 Earl Blaik8–0–1#3
2018 Jeff Monken 11–2#19
2020 Jeff Monken9–3NR

Bowl games

Army has played in 11 bowl games. They have a record of 8–3.

SeasonCoachBowlDateOpponentResult
1984 Jim Young Cherry Bowl December 22, 1984 Michigan State W 10–6
1985 Peach Bowl December 31, 1985 Illinois W 31–29
1988 Sun Bowl December 24, 1988 Alabama L 28–29
1996 Bob Sutton Independence Bowl December 31, 1996 Auburn L 29–32
2010 Rich Ellerson Armed Forces Bowl December 30, 2010 SMU W 16–14
2016 Jeff Monken Heart of Dallas Bowl December 27, 2016 North Texas W 38–31 OT
2017 Armed Forces Bowl December 23, 2017 San Diego State W 42–35
2018 Armed Forces Bowl December 22, 2018 Houston W 70–14
2020 Liberty Bowl December 31, 2020 West Virginia L 21–24
2021 Armed Forces Bowl December 22, 2021 Missouri W 24–22
2024 Independence Bowl December 28, 2024 Louisiana Tech W 27–6

Future bowl tie-ins

The NCAA's football oversight committee determined the number of primary bowl tie-ins for each FBS conference and FBS independent for the 2020–2025 bowl cycle using eligibility data from the 2014–2017 seasons. [14] The Black Knights received one guaranteed tie-in per year. On October 24, 2019, the West Point Athletic Department announced that they had agreed to a contract that placed their team, if eligible, in the Independence Bowl for three of the six years, with the remaining years being contracted to an ESPN Events-owned bowl. [15] [16]

The contract includes a clause that allows Army the ability to accept a bid from a different bowl game once during the three-year agreement with the Independence Bowl and once during the three-year agreement with ESPN Events. Aligning with this, on November 5 Army announced that it had agreed to a secondary contractual tie-in with the Duke's Mayo Bowl. [17] It agreed that it would serve as the primary backup for the bowl and would have the opportunity to accept an invitation to the game twice during the six-year cycle. The Duke's Mayo Bowl's primary tie-ins for the 2020–2025 cycle are the ACC (all years), the SEC (odd years), and the Big Ten (even years); if any of those conferences were unable to place a team into the bowl during any of those years, Army would be extended an invitation to fill their place. The opponent conferences for the Independence Bowl were announced to be the Pac-12 and the American on January 30, 2020. [18] [19]

SeasonBowlOpponent
2020 Independence Bowl Pac-12
2021ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl
2022Independence Bowl American
2023ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl
2024Independence BowlPac-12
2025ESPN Owned and Operated Bowl

The Duke's Mayo Bowl can extend an invitation to Army once during the even years (2020, 2022, 2026) and once during the odd years (2021, 2023, 2025) to fill a vacancy as part of a secondary tie-in.

ESPN Events operates the following 16 bowls that Army could be invited to during odd years of the cycle:

Head coaches

CoachYearsSeasonsGamesRecordPct.Bowl Games
Dennis Michie1890, 1892163–2–1.583
Henry L. Williams 1891175–1–1.786
Laurie Bliss 1893194–5.444
Harmon S. Graves 1894–189521410–4.714
George P. Dyer 1896163–2–1.583
Herman Koehler 1897–190043319–11–3.621
Leon Kromer 1901185–1–2.750
Dennis E. Nolan 1902186–1–1.813
Edward Leonard King 1903196–2–1.722
Robert Boyers 1904–190521811–6–1.639
Henry Smither 1906–19072107–2–1.750
Ernest Graves, Sr. 1906, 19122167–8–1.469
Harry Nelly 1908–191032215–5–2.727
Joseph Beacham 1911186–1–1.813
Charles Dudley Daly 1913–1916, 1919–192287458–13–3.804
Geoffrey Keyes 1917187–1.875
Hugh Mitchell 1918111–01.000
John McEwan 1923–192532618–5–3.750
Biff Jones 1926–192944030–8–2.775
Ralph Sasse 1930–193233225–5–2.813
Garrison H. Davidson 1933–193754735–11–1.755
William H. Wood 1938–194032812–13–1.481
Earl Blaik 1941–195818164121–33–10.768
Dale Hall 1959–196132916–11–2.586
Paul Dietzel 1962–196544021–18–1.538
Tom Cahill 1966–197388140–39–2.506
Homer Smith 1974–197855521–33–1.391
Lou Saban 19791112–8–1.227
Ed Cavanaugh 1980–198233310–21–2.333
Jim Young 1983–199089151–39–1.5663
Bob Sutton 1991–1999910044–55–1.4451
Todd Berry 2000–20034415–36.122
John Mumford 2003160–6.000
Bobby Ross 2004–20063349–25.265
Stan Brock 2007–20082246–18.250
Rich Ellerson 2009–201356120–41.3281
Jeff Monken 2014–present1113982–57.5906

† Dennis Michie coached 1 game in 1890, and then coached a full season in 1892.

Rivalries

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

Air Force, Army, and Navy have played each other every year since 1972 for the Commander-in Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads the FBS service academies with 21 victories, Navy has 16 victories, and Army has 10 victories, with the trophy being shared 5 times. Navy is the current holder of the trophy.

Air Force

Air Force and Army meet annually and vie for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Air Force leads Army 38–19–1 through the 2023 season. [20] In a shocking upset Army defeated Air Force on November 4, 2023, in Denver at Empower Field. Air Force was nationally ranked and undefeated going into the game. Army prevailed 23–3. [21]

After the Navy–Notre Dame game was canceled in 2020, the Army–Air Force game became the longest uninterrupted intersectional rivalry in college football.

Army and Navy play each other annually in the Army–Navy game, which is also a part of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. This series is one of the oldest and traditional rivalries in the NCAA. They first met in 1890, and have played each other annually since 1930. The games are generally played at a neutral site. Navy leads the series 63–55–7 through the 2024 season. [22]

Notre Dame

Notre Dame is a rivalry which some feel [ according to whom? ] has fallen into obscurity. In much of the early 20th century, Army and Notre Dame were considered football powerhouses, and met 34 times between 1913 and 1947. Though the rivalry has slowed down, they last met in 2024, with Notre Dame winning 49-14. Many media members considered the 1946 contest to be the "Game of the Century". [23] Notre Dame leads the series 39–8–4 through the 2018 season. [24]

Michie Stadium

Michie Stadium, which opened in 1924, is the home stadium of the Army Black Knights in West Point, New York. The stadium is named after the first Army football head coach, Dennis Michie. In 1999, the field was renamed Blaik Field at Michie Stadium in honor of former coach Earl Blaik.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated ranked Michie Stadium the third-best sports venue of the 20th century. [25]

Traditions

Songs

Alma Mater is the Army's school song. Army's fight song is "On, Brave Old Army Team". Army also plays other organized cheers; Army Rocket Yell, Black, Gold, and Gray, and USMA Cheer. [26]

Mascot

Army's mascots are the Army Mules. While dating back to 1899, they were officially adopted as mascots by West Point in 1936. [27]

College Football Hall of Fame

The following four individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as coaches.

NamePositionYears at ArmyInducted
Biff Jones HC 1926–19291954
Earl "Red" Blaik HC 1941–19581964
Jim Young HC 1983–19991999
Henry L. Williams HC 18911951

The following 24 individuals have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as players. Daly and McEwan also served as Army's head coach.

NamePositionYears at ArmyInducted
Charlie Daly QB 1901–19021951
Chris Cagle HB 1926–19291954
Ed Garbisch C/OG 1921–19241954
Elmer Oliphant FB 1916–19171955
Glenn Davis HB 1943–19461961
John McEwan C 1913–19161962
Doc Blanchard FB 1944–19461964
Paul Bunker HB/OT 1901–19021969
Harry Wilson HB 19241973
Barney Poole TE/DE 1944–19461974
Alex Weyand OT 1914–19151974
Pete Dawkins HB 1956–19581975
Harvey Jablonsky OG 1931–19331978
Bud Sprague OT 1926–19271979
Bill Carpenter TE 1957–19591982
Arnold Galiffa QB 1947–19491983
Doug Kenna QB 1942–19441984
Don Holleder End/QB 1953–19551985
Robin Olds T 1941–19421985
Joe Steffy OG 1945–19471987
John Green OG 1943–19451989
Frank Merritt OT 1942–19431996
Bob Anderson HB 1957–19592004
Arnold Tucker QB 1945–19462008

Other notable players

President of the United States and General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower and General of the Army Omar Bradley were on the 1912 Army football team. Eisenhower was injured and his football career was over by 1913, when the two future generals were juniors. Bradley, a star of the Army baseball team for four years, was on the field in 1913 when Notre Dame upset Army in a historic college football game in which the forward pass was used for the first time. Bradley played end opposite the legendary Knute Rockne, the Notre Dame end who later coached the Irish to national championships before dying in a plane crash near Bazaar, Kansas, on Easter Friday in 1931.

Retired numbers

Felix Doc Blanchard Army football.jpg
Pete dawkins army.jpg
Pete Dawkins (right) and Doc Blanchard, two of the players who have their numbers retired by Army
Army Black Knights retired numbers
No.PlayerPos.TenureNo. ret.Ref.
24 Pete Dawkins HB 1956–19582008 [28] [29]
35 Doc Blanchard FB 1944–19462009 [28] [29]
41 Glenn Davis HB 1943–19462005 [29] [28]
61 Joe Steffy G 1945–19472009 [29] [28]

Award winners

Doc Blanchard – 1945
Glenn Davis – 1946
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Earl Blaik – 1946
Tom Cahill – 1966
Tom Cahill – 1966
Bob Sutton – 1996
Jeff Monken – 2018 [30]
Jeff Monken – 2018 [31]
Jeff Monken – 2018 [32]
Jeff Monken – 2021 [33]
Glenn Davis – 1944
Doc Blanchard – 1945
Pete Dawkins – 1958
Joe Steffy – 1947
Andrew Rodriguez – 2011 [34]
Doc Blanchard 1945
Arnold Tucker 1946
Andrew Rodriguez – 2011 [35]
Andrew King – 2016 [36]
Arik Smith – 2021 [37] [38]

Future schedules

Schedules as of December 18, 2024. [39]

2025202620272028202920302031203220332034
Tarleton State (FCS)at Boston College at Old Dominion at Middle Tennessee Old Dominion
at Kansas State Air Force at Air Force Texas State Cincinnati at UMass at Troy
at Air Force at Wake Forest at UConn Air Force at Air Force Air Force at Air Force Air Force at Air Force Air Force
vs. Navy 1vs. Navy 2vs. Navy 3vs. Navy 4vs. Navy 4vs. Navy 4vs. Navy 4vs. Navy 4vs. Navy 4vs. Navy 4
  1. At M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, MD
  2. At MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
  3. At Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA
  4. At TBD

Radio

Radio rights are held by Learfield through Army West Point Sports Properties, a joint venture with the USMA, and are branded on-air as the "Army Sports Network from Learfield". Pamal Broadcasting-owned WGHQ in Kingston, New York serves as the network's flagship station.

Former affiliates (1 station)

Current broadcast team

Army Sports Network

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army–Navy Game</span> Annual American football game between the US Military Academy and the US Naval Academy

The Army–Navy Game is an American college football rivalry game between the Army Black Knights of the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, and the Navy Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy (USNA) at Annapolis, Maryland. The Black Knights, or Cadets, and Midshipmen each represent their service's oldest officer commissioning sources. As such, the game has come to embody the spirit of the interservice rivalry of the United States Armed Forces. The game marks the end of the college football regular season and the third and final game of the season's Commander-in-Chief's Trophy series, which also includes the Air Force Falcons of the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The series has been uninterrupted since 1930. Through the 2024 meeting, Navy leads the series 63–55–7.

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Michie Stadium is an outdoor football stadium on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. The home field for the Army Black Knights, it opened 101 years ago in 1924 and has a seating capacity of 30,000 for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commander-in-Chief's Trophy</span> Football trophy for U.S. service academies

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl Blaik</span> American football player, coach, college athletics administrator and army officer

Earl Henry "Red" Blaik was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and United States Army officer. He served as the head football coach at Dartmouth College from 1934 to 1940 and at the United States Military Academy from 1941 to 1958, compiling a career college football record of 166–48–14. His Army football teams won three consecutive national championships in 1944, 1945 and 1946. Blaik was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 1964.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish football rivalries refers to rivalries of the University of Notre Dame in the sport of college football. Because the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are independent of a football conference, they play a national schedule, which annually includes historic rivals University of Southern California and Navy, more recent rival Stanford, and five games with ACC teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Navy Midshipmen football</span> American athletic football program of the US military Naval Academy

The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The Naval Academy completed its final season as an FBS independent school in 2014, and became a single-sport member of the American Athletic Conference beginning in the 2015 season. The team is currently coached by Brian Newberry, who was promoted in 2022, following his stint as the Midshipmen defensive coordinator. Navy has 19 players and three coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame and won the college football national championship in 1926 according to the Boand and Houlgate poll systems. The 1910 team also was undefeated and unscored upon. The mascot is Bill the Goat. Attendance of home football games is required for all students. Members of the Billy the Kid Club can attend home football games for free.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Army Black Knights</span> College sports program of the United States Military Academy

The Army Black Knights are the athletic teams that represent the United States Military Academy, located in West Point, New York.

The 1948 college football season finished with SMU halfback Doak Walker as the Heisman Trophy winner and six teams in contention for the national championship:

  1. Bennie Oosterbaan's Michigan compiled a 9–0 record, defeated six ranked opponents, and was the consensus national champion, receiving 192 of 333 first-place votes in the final AP Poll. It was Michigan's second consecutive undefeated season, extending the program's winning streak to 23 games.
  2. Frank Leahy's Notre Dame Fighting Irish compiled a 9–0–1 record and had a 21-game winning streak dating back to the 1946 season before playing a 14–14 tie with USC in the final game of the 1948 season. Notre Dame was ranked No. 2 in the final AP Poll, receiving 97 of 333 first-place votes, with the same record as Michigan due to the final poll being taken prior to their season-ending tie.
  3. Carl Snavely's No. 3 North Carolina Tar Heels, led by Heisman Trophy runner-up Charlie Justice, were undefeated in the regular season (9–0–1) but lost to Oklahoma in the 1949 Sugar Bowl.
  4. Pappy Waldorf's No. 4 California Golden Bears, led by Jackie Jensen who finished fourth in the 1948 Heisman Trophy voting, were undefeated in the regular season (10–0), but lost to Northwestern in the 1949 Rose Bowl.
  5. Bud Wilkinson's No. 5 Oklahoma Sooners compiled a 10–1 record, including a victory over No. 3 North Carolina in the 1949 Sugar Bowl.
  6. Earl Blaik's No. 6 Army Cadets finished the season undefeated (8–0–1). They won the first eight games of the season and were ranked No. 3 in the AP Poll before playing Navy to a tie in the annual Army–Navy Game.

The 1946 Army Cadets football team was an American football team that represented the United States Military Academy as an independent during the 1946 college football season. In their sixth season under head coach Earl "Red" Blaik, the Cadets compiled a 9–0–1 record and outscored opponents by a total of 263 to 80. Army's 1946 season was part of a 32-game undefeated streak that included the entire 1944, 1945, and 1946 seasons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Monken</span> American football player and coach (born 1967)

Jeffrey Michael Monken is an American college football coach. He is the head football coach at the United States Military Academy, a position he has held since 2014. Monken previously served as the head football coach of Georgia Southern University from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that, he worked under Paul Johnson as a running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Georgia Southern, the United States Naval Academy, and Georgia Tech.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2014 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by first-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium. They finished the season 4–8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2015 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by second-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by third-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium. They finished the season 8–5 and defeated Navy for the first time since 2001 in the Army–Navy Game. They were invited to the Heart of Dallas Bowl where they defeated North Texas in overtime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by fourth-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium finished the season 10–3, winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the first time since 1996 after sweeping service academy rivals Air Force and Navy. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they defeated San Diego State. Following the season, they were chosen as the 2017 ECAC Division I Football Subdivision Team of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2018 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by fifth-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium. Following their 28–14 victory over Colgate in Week 12, Army entered the AP Poll at No. 23 and the Coaches' Poll at No. 24, the first time Army had entered the national rankings since finishing the 1996 season at No. 25 in the AP and No. 24 in the Coaches'. On December 2, Army accepted an invite to participate in the Armed Forces Bowl against the Houston Cougars of the American Athletic Conference. On December 8, Army defeated its archrival Navy by a score of 17–10, increasing their Army-Navy Game win streak to three in a row and winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the second straight year. With the win the Black Knights also secured their second straight 10-win season, the first time that had been accomplished in the Academy's long and storied history. In the Armed Forces Bowl, they defeated Houston by a score of 70–14 to tie NCAA bowl game records for points scored and margin of victory. Their 11 wins are the most in one season in program history. As a result of his team's 2018 accomplishments, Coach Monken was awarded the George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year Award by the Maxwell Football Club, the Vince Lombardi College Football Coach of the Year Award by the Lombardi Foundation, and the President's Award by the Touchdown Club of Columbus. Army finished the season with a ranking of No. 19 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches' Poll, their highest finish in both polls since Pete Dawkins's Heisman Trophy-winning season in 1958 where the Cadets finished No. 3 in both polls. Following the completion of the season, the Black Knights were awarded the 2018 Lambert Trophy by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Metropolitan New York Football Writers, signifying them as the best team in the East in Division I FBS. This was the eighth overall time the Lambert Trophy had been awarded to Army, and the first since 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Army Black Knights football team</span> United States Military Academy in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2019 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by sixth-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium. Due to playing an away game at Hawaii and the NCAA's "Hawaii Exemption", the Black Knights played a 13-game regular season in 2019. They finished the season with a record of 5–8, finishing in third place for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy following losses to Air Force and Navy, and missing out on a bowl game for the first time since the 2015 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Army Black Knights football team</span> United States Military Academy in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2020 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy as an independent in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by seventh-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Army Black Knights football team</span> United States Military Academy in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2021 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by eighth-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium. They competed as an independent. The Black Knights finished the season with a record of 9–4, sharing the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with Navy and Air Force after all three service academies finished with 1–1 records against each other. They were invited to the Armed Forces Bowl where they defeated Missouri, 24–22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2022 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by ninth-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York. They competed as an independent. The Black Knights finished the season with a record of 6–6, beating Navy but losing possession of the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy after a loss to Air Force. They were not invited to a bowl as only five of their six wins counted for bowl eligibility, with the sixth coming against their second FCS opponent of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Army Black Knights football team</span> American college football season

The 2023 Army Black Knights football team represented the United States Military Academy in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Black Knights were led by 10th-year head coach Jeff Monken and played their home games at Michie Stadium in West Point, New York. They competed as an independent and finished with a 6–6 record—the team was not invited to a bowl game as they had not met bowl eligibility requirements when bowl matchups were announced in early December. Even if they had accumulated six wins at that time, two of their wins were against FCS opponents.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Szczepinski, Eric (ed.). 2024 Army West Point Football Media Guide (PDF). U.S. Military Academy Office of Athletic Communication. pp. 105–107, 187. Retrieved August 26, 2024. 5 National Championships (1914, 1916, 1944, 1945, & 1946)
  2. Army Brand Guidelines (PDF). April 13, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
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Bibliography